From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Complaints of steering joggles and shocks on Phantom II cars and proposed solutions.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 28\5\ Scan075 | |
| Date | 26th February 1932 | |
| 8457 R.{Sir Henry Royce} From Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey} c. to Ss.{S. Smith} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey}2/HA.26. 2. 32. STEERING P.II. ------------------ We are constantly hearing of complaints of steering joggles and shocks on P.II cars; this trouble is particularly prominent on cars fitted with low ratings road springs and is the worst feature of all L.H. cars in America. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Ra. has been particularly emphatic on this point in several of his communications from U.S. In Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey}3/AD.31.8.31. we gave a report on the advantages to be gained by using a flexible spring shackle on our cars, as shown up by preliminary test on 20-H.T. N.Gelson. Since then we have been running three P.II cars constantly with this device fitted and in addition have altered the springs in the flexible shackle to give the optimum results. There is without any doubt a distinct improvement, shocks and joggles are considerably minimised and we have not detected any disadvantages. The amount of movement of the spring eye necessary to reduce joggles is quite small and is less than will upset the directional qualities of the steering during brake application. A further improvement is gained by using a small amount of friction in the column, (the best being equivalent to a load of 2 to 3 lbs at the rim of the steering wheel.) These two modifications result in the best steering we at present know how to produce. The type of friction used for the test was a plate clutch type which has the disadvantage that any slack in the serrations of the friction plates is magnified and becomes unpleasant at the steering wheel; it is not a possible production scheme. The ideal method would be a friction device carried out in the same manner as the low inertia spring drive damping friction, using oil soaked cotton duck friction material (metal to metal soon picks up and gives uneven results); we think this could easily be arranged. We have had an opportunity of trying a Buick car fitted with a flexible shackle and were able to appreciate the improvement it gives by making a test with the shackle made solid. The Buick steering even without the flexible shackle is good, equivalent to our best with a flexible shackle. We are rather forced to admit that there are many cars now on the market with a more pleasant steering than | ||